Crepes and Plates and Not-Dates
by dwds
Summary: The sun glints off crimson frames, bright, so vivid Nagisa thinks he might go blind. He stares. [Or: The rival food truck AU]
1. Chapter 1

ive had this idea for soo long omg...

also, i suck at titles haha

many many thanks for my awesome friend abby (narutorun on tumblr) for amazing beta!

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><p>He's watching Haru write the day's specials on the chalkboard when a truck comes to a rolling stop right behind <em>Tokyo Takyo<em>. Nagisa tears his eyes away from Haru's tiny, even script (how can he write so small when the chalk is so thick?) to stare. The new truck is a creamy yellow, broken only by lacy pink detailing that swirls along the edge of the vehicle. A girl, probably around Nagisa's age, opens the window and reaches up, tugging at _something_—Nagisa squints—and a blue and white striped awning falls over the opening and counter. It is, without a doubt, the absolute cutest food truck Nagisa has ever seen.

"_Belles Crepe_s_?_" reads Haru, dusting off chalk from his hands. Light powder poofs into the air between them.

"It's French," says Nagisa, who took one world language elective when he was a freshman.

"What does it mean?" says Haru, who knows exactly how full of shit he is. Nagisa doesn't answer him, turning away from Haru's private grin to watch the girl struggle with the awning. It's creased up at the bottom, refusing to smooth out, and she's too short to reach the end and yank it down.

"Rei," she calls, right as Nagisa moves to offer help. "Rei, come out here and help me."

"What's wrong?" a voice says, hidden inside the shadow behind the counter. Nagisa pauses.

"The canopy's stuck," she replies, blowing out a frustrated breath, red strands so deep Nagisa thinks they might be burgundy floating away from her face.

"Coming," says the voice, and the back door opens.

The sun glints off crimson frames, bright, so vivid Nagisa thinks he might go blind. He stares, thankfully hidden in the shadow of _Tokyo Takyo_, as a young man in a small pink apron, a delicate white cap nestled over stylish bangs, strides to where the cloth has folded up and fixes it with a deft pull. Nagisa can see the cords of his arm from where he's standing, shifting under bronze, skin glimmering in the early summer light.

Nagisa stares.

"Thanks," the girl says, and they exchange smiles. Nagisa catches his eye when the guy turns and the gentle look slides off, replaced with a solemn mask. He jerks his head, curt, to Nagisa and disappears back inside the truck, the crisp lines of his slacks fluttering at the edges.

"Help me set up," says Haru, suddenly right beside him, and Nagisa follows him inside.

break

"What do you think?" Haru's holding out a plate of six perfectly round, steaming takoyaki. "I tried using a couple different cheese fillings instead, for vegetarian customers."

"Gorgeous," Nagisa breathes, thinking of navy flips and red rims.

"You think so?" Haru pops one in his mouth. "Ahh, hot."

"Haru-chan!" says Nagisa. "Isn't it so exciting to have another food truck on this street? I hope we can make friends with them!"

"Exciting?" Haru echoes. "What about the customers?"

Nagisa cocks his head. "What _about_ the customers?"

"Another truck means competition for customers," says Haru. "Makoto taught me that." Mako is Haru's...well. They call each other "best friends", but Nagisa thinks he knows a little better. Mako and Haru are the ones who own _Tokyo Takyo_, but Mako handles the business aspects and doesn't accompany them during the lunch shift, while Haru cooks all the food. Nagisa himself handles the customers, orders, and money.

"Competition?" Nagisa didn't think of that. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Haru-chan, there are tons and tons of people who walk on these streets every day!" He glances uncertainly out the window. "We sell takoyaki and they sell crepes, so I don't think it will be a big deal."

break

It is a big deal. It is totally and completely a bigger deal than Nagisa imagined.

People flock toward _Belles Crepes_, a name that sounds more and more ridiculous every time Nagisa hears someone struggle through the pronunciation. "Beautiful Crepes" is what they translate to, which strikes him as boring and unoriginal—at least_ their_ truck is a clever play on words.

_Tokyo Takyo _is still selling fairly well, but the sheer amount of passerby that the crepe truck is reeling in grates on his nerves. Even on their best days, Haru and Nagisa have never served numbers this big.

Haru, for all his talk, doesn't seem to mind that much—he's perfectly content to stand in front of the stove with his thoughts in the back of the truck. But Nagisa's the face of _Tokyo Takyo_, and, well—it's a little bit embarrassing, standing exposed, exchanging awkward smiles with people who hurry past to get to the vanilla colored truck behind him. He watches everyone carefully to cure his boredom, mentally logging what he sees: a woman in a red scarf, an old man, grey hair ruffling in the wind, a tall guy with dark hair, a scowl—_wait._

"Sou-chan?" Nagisa says, only a little hysterically. The man turns, droopy eyes settling on his.

"Nagisa," says Sousuke, shooting him a charming smile. "Hey." Nagisa is not fooled.

"You're not getting takoyaki today?" Nagisa wails. Sousuke happens to be his favorite regular. Sousuke also happens to be one of their only regulars. "You're betraying us for crepes?"

"I'm not betraying you," says Sousuke. "I'm just trying them out for today—"

"You're betraying _us_ for _crepes!_" Sousuke holds his hands up in a placating gesture, one already curled around a waxy cone. "You already went? _Without saying hi?"_

"Nagisa," says Haru. "Calm down. You're scaring people away."

"What people?" Nagisa cries. "All our potential customers are headed over to that demon truck behind us!"

"Is it really that bad?" says Sousuke, ignoring Nagisa's caterwauling.

"It's just the initial hype," says Haru. "We'll be fine."

"And him?" Sousuke waves his crepe in Nagisa's direction.

"He was okay when they pulled in this morning," Haru says, eyeing Nagisa, "although that may have had to do with that guy in glasses."

Nagisa lifts his head up from where they were resting, despondent, in his arms. "Shut up, Haru-chan."

"Ah," says Sousuke, glinting, "the workers there are very cute, aren't they?"

"They are not," Nagisa shakes his head. "They are, as of now, the enemy. And so are you, Sou-chan!" he says quickly, when Sousuke laughs. "Don't think you're getting off the hook this easy."

"Aw, Nagisa," says Sousuke, reaching up to pat his head. "Don't be like that. I'll get some takoyaki."

"You already have food," says Haru, pointing to the offending object in Sousuke's right hand.

"Who says a man can't have both?" Sousuke smiles at him. "C'mon, Hazuki," he says, cajoling. Nagisa huffs and crosses his arms, looking away, but when Haru flips them, piping hot, onto the paper dish, Nagisa adds extra mayonnaise and green onion—the way Sousuke likes it.

break

"Bye, Sou-chan!" waves Nagisa a little later when Sousuke's making his leave.

"You can take a short break if you want to," says Haru to his phone. "There's a lull. Go get us lunch, or something."

Nagisa salutes Haru (_"Aye-aye!"_) and bounds out of the back door.

He takes a long look at _Belles Crepes_ on his way back from the café down the street, grasping a paper bag of sandwiches and soup. The girl and the boy inside are bustling around inside in their tiny aprons and hats. _Cute!,_ Nagisa thinks, then_, no no no _wait_ they're the _enemy_. Focus, Nagisa!_

They seem very at ease with each other, none of the stiffness that crept over the guy when he met Nagisa's eye this morning present at all. _They're probably together, that makes sense_, thinks Nagisa, who is not in the least bit disappointed, thank you very much. He doesn't notice he's openly staring until the girl waves him over.

"Hi!" she trills, fingers wiggling. "I'm Matsuoka Gou! You work next door, right?"

"Uh, yeah," says Nagisa, smiling despite himself at her cheery attitude. "Hazuki Nagisa of _Tokyo Takyo_. We sell takoyaki! In Tokyo!"

The guy sniffs a bit, and Gou not-so-subtly jabs him in the side, still smiling widely. He makes a choked noise, adjusts his glasses, and looks Nagisa dead in the eye. "Ryugazaki Rei," and Nagisa almost misses it, he's so disoriented by violet eyes.

"Ah, I'm Hazuki Nagisa," says Nagisa, and Gou giggles behind her hand.

"Yes, you've said that already," says Rei.

"Have I?" says Nagisa, full-flirt, because Rei's even sexier up close, who knew eyes could be that color? And he must work out or _something_, nobody's born with biceps like that, a body like that, which Nagisa can clearly see outlined, thank you for tying that apron so tight, Rei-_cha_—dammit. He's forgotten he's here to establish _Tokyo Takyo_'s dominance, not charm the handsome guy in glasses.

"You two sure picked an interesting spot," Nagisa says lightly. Gou leans forward on her elbows, chin propped up. She looks vaguely interested, a corner of her mouth tugging slightly upwards.

"Yes," says Rei, taking the bait. "It's really an optimal location."

"I know," says Nagisa. "I've been here since summer started." He lets that hang in the air a moment. "Don't you think it's a little weird, choosing a spot right behind another food truck?"

Rei's scowling face—which Nagisa thinks might just be his resting expression—deepens. "Just what are you implying here?"

"Nothing, nothing," says Nagisa airly, waving his free hand. "It's just that—well, this isn't as populated an area as other locations, so it might be kinda hard for two food trucks, you know?"

"Maybe for you," Rei says haughtily, thumbing his glasses. "We're not the ones selling an item so _common_," and that really ticks Nagisa off, because Haru-chan's cooking is anything and everything wonderfully _not common._

"You think these skinny pancakes are better than Japan's comfort food?" says Nagisa loudly. "Each little ball is a taste of home!"

"You can get takoyaki anywhere, but where can you find such a beautiful French delicacy in the heart of Tokyo on the go?"

"My takoyaki are much better than your flimsy flapjacks," Nagisa says, leans as close as he can to Rei.

"Well, I can guarantee that _my crepes_—" but whatever lie he's about to spew is cut off by loud laughter.

"What are you saying?" Gou says, eyes creased up. "Your takoyaki? Your crepes? Did you two forget who actually cooks the food?" She throws her head back again in mirth. "It's me and that dark-haired guy next door, in case you need reminding. Not you, baby Rei," and she tugs at Rei's cheek, pinching pink skin between her thumb and forefinger. "Or you," she says, pointing a blunt finger over her shoulder as she leaves the counter.

"My point still stands!" says Nagisa. "And you can consider the _Tokyo Takyo_ your rivals!"

"Rivals?" echoes Gou from somewhere inside, still chuckling, but Nagisa can see Rei is totally swept into the chaos.

"Rivals, then," Rei says, suddenly very solemn and serious. A beat later the façade breaks and lets out a pretentious snort. "As if there's even any competition."

"Excuse me?" says Nagisa. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I _mean _that your little junk truck is hardly a threat." Rei's eyes slide over to the right, eyeing the Tokyo Takyo. "That rusty old thing looks like it can barely even move."

"Hey!" says Nagisa, offended. Haru had worked hard, hand painting their logo. "You leave our truck out of this! You must be scared if you're trying to comment on stuff outside the food."

"Scared?" Rei says, eyebrows shooting up. "_Scared_? As if!" His speech loses some of its refined quality.

"Hmm…" says Nagisa, tapping his chin. He tilts his head. "That sounds like denial."

"I'm not in denial—"

"That's exactly what a scared person in denial would say!"

Rei's nostrils flare. Nagisa smiles back serenely.

"You—you're so—"

"If you're not scared," Nagisa interrupts, suddenly feeling ambitious, "make a bet with me." Rei pauses in his sputtering.

"A bet?" he asks, his face naturally settling into a frown. "And just what would this little _bet_ entail?"

"Whoever has the least customers…has to…" Nagisa stops to think. "Um…" and then an idea strikes him, so brilliant and clever that he's momentarily stunned by his own genius. "Whoever has the least customers by the end of next week has to buy the other guy dinner!"

Honestly, he's impressed with himself for thinking this one up—it's a win-win situation: he gets to gloat in Rei's conceited face AND he gets treated to a meal.

At Nagisa's proposal, Rei's scowling expression twists into something of embarrassment, his cheeks taking on a slight tint. His glasses are knocked slightly askew as he ungracefully stutters a reply, and Nagisa is privately amused in watching his usually composed enemy flounder around.

"I-um…well, I supposed that is fair eno—"

"Am I included in this deal?" asks Gou, reappearing and saving Rei from humiliating himself any further. She flashes her teeth at Nagisa's startled look. "Kidding, kidding." Before he can comment, a hand is shoved in his face.

"Deal. Shake on it," commands Rei. He isn't quite meeting Nagisa's eye, focusing somewhere behind his left ear.

He notices Rei has really big hands…nice hands. Long fingers. Slim wrists. Shaking his head, Nagisa grasps Rei's palm and shakes firmly.

"You're going down!" Nagisa says wildly.

Rei draws up to his full height, which is—actually pretty tall. Wow. Nagisa has to crane his neck to look into his face, the added height of the truck Rei's standing in causing him to tower above, the pastel color scheme blurring the edges of his anger.

"I won't lose!" He crosses his arms, somehow still elegant with his hair tufting up in different directions and his face flushed with irritation.

"It's not a race," says Gou, but she looks incredibly amused. Nagisa wants to stay and glare a little harder up into Rei's pretty face, but the back door of _Tokyo Takyo_ flies open, and Haru's staring at him.

"What are you doing? Hurry up, I'm starving," he calls, and Nagisa is forced to grab the paper bag and make his leave—but not without one last (almost coy) glance over his shoulder.

Break

Nagisa throws himself into the last two hours of the lunch shift with new vigor. He talks, he laughs, he makes conversation. Customers usually served with a smile are served…with a bigger smile.

Nagisa internally curses himself for already being an incredibly friendly server. How is anyone supposed to tell the difference? How is he supposed to attract more people if he's already at one hundred percent charm?

Sometimes, if he leans out far enough when handing the hot dish into eager hands, he can catch a glimpse of Rei, smug grin always present. Nagisa wants to wipe it off his face, sometimes with his fist, sometimes with his tongue, depending on his mood. Rei gives him a mixed vibe. An 'I-want-to-run-you-into-the-ground-but-also-hold-your-soft-hands' vibe. A 'my-takoyaki-are-better-than-your-crepes-lets-feed-each-other-our-food-naked-to-taste-the-competition' vibe. It's all very confusing.

Nagisa is distracted from his thoughts when three fiery, golden children wander onto the scene. The younger two seem very small—Nagisa guesses they're around four or five years old, with a brother looks to be some years older.

"What do you guys want?" he asks his siblings.

"What's that one?" asks the little girl, pointing to _Belles Crepes_. She and her older brother attempt to sound it out.

"They're crepes!" calls Rei, from his counter. "They're like little pancakes filled with delicious treats!"

"Like what? Can I see?" asks the girl, and stumbles forward when Rei displays a beautiful golden cake, drizzled with chocolate and tucked neatly into a paper cone. "It's pretty! Onii-chan, I want one!" She squeals with delight when Rei hands it to her.

Her brother shrugs good-naturedly. "I guess we'll all get 'em, because our mom said to only go to one place," he tells Rei, and turns to the youngest child. "C'mon, what do you want in yours?"

The littlest boy jerks away from his brother. "I want takoyaki!" he says, pointing straight at Nagisa in the _Tokyo Takyo_. "Daddy always gets me takoyaki from this red truck! I want it with a lotta sauce!"

"No!" cries his sister, clutching her crepe. "We have to get this one!"

"Look at all the flavors," the eldest boy says, patting his brother on the shoulder soothingly. "You can get any flavor you want! I have enough money." He fishes out some bills and shows them off.

"Takoyaki flavor!" cries the little boy. "Takoyaki! I want takoyaki!"

"You get takoyaki so many times!" says his sister angrily.

"You do get it a lot," says the oldest brother, surprisingly calm.

"I don't mind making some for him," says Nagisa kindly. Both boys look to him, lips stretched.

"Yay!" cheers the little boy, fists in the air.

"Sorry," says his brother, still smiling, "but our mom said only one store. We'll come to you next time, promise!"

Nagisa tries not to slump over in defeat as he watches the trio carefully place their order, politely (and tearfully, in the case of the youngest brother) take their treats from Rei. He's sniffling a bit when they start to leave.

"Aw, Momo, don't cry," says the oldest, and stoops down a bit. "Here, I'll give you a piggyback ride home." They all wave goodbye to both _Belles Crepes _and_ Tokyo Takyo_ when they walk past, beaming, and it's such a cute image that Nagisa, despite falling even further behind Rei, waves brightly back.

Break

Haru must have noticed his mopey demeanor, because he offers a reassuring pat on the back.

"Don't worry. People will always love takoyaki," he says, and gazes at his stove with something akin to lust in his eyes. Nagisa mentally moves past that and sighs heavily, resting curls on Haru's shoulder.

"I know that, Haru-chan," he moans, rubbing his head back and forth, "but our honor and my wallet are at stake here."

"Your wallet?" says Haru, and Nagisa launches into a long-winded recount of his interaction with Rei and Gou and explains the bet.

"You asked him out to dinner?" asks Haru when he's finished, a little out of breath.

"Haru-chan! Is that the only thing you took out of this?" says Nagisa.

"I don't see what the problem is here," says Haru. "Either way, you get to go on a date with him."

"It's not like that!" says Nagisa, even though it is actually exactly like that. "I only said that for humiliation purposes!" He thinks of Rei's red face and mentally marks it down as a victory.

Haru looks at him. "Nagisa…nothing you're saying makes sense."

"Okay," says Nagisa, fingers pressed against his temples. Nothing against Haru, of course, but his friend can be so incredibly dense when it comes to human interaction. It's all about what people don't say, and _subtlety, Haru-chan, subtlety_. "Okay. So he's decent-looking,"—drop dead gorgeous, if he's being completely honest _shut up shut up_—"and he's got a nice body, but he's an asshole and a newcomer and we were here first and also I think he needs to be put in his place."

"And…you think dressing up and flouncing around in those denim shorts while eating things like whipped cream and juicy fruit off your fingers is going to 'put him in his place'? I know you, Nagisa. I know how you act when you're trying to get in someone's pants."

"What!" cries Nagisa, pink. "I've only just met him today, Haru-chan! Is this really what you think of me?"

Haru raises one delicate brow. Nagisa's cheeks deepen. Okay, so yeah, he's not completely opposed to the idea Rei naked—those biceps, oh my God—but that doesn't change the fact that the guy is a dismissive jerk and an insult to _Tokyo Takyo_. He doesn't want Haru to know for a reason he can't place, which is interesting, because he's always been open with his thoughts and affection and romantic antics before, but it must show on his face, his acceptance of Haru's accusation, because the chef smirks—only slightly—and turns back to the stove.

Break

Finally, _finally_ the lunch shift comes to an end, and three in the afternoon has never felt sweeter. Nagisa is ready to head back to his and Haru's apartment and throw himself under the covers. He doesn't have the dinner shift later today—rarely has it, actually. Usually Makoto's the one who helps Haru in the evenings. It is rare all three of them are forced to pile in together…which suddenly ticks him off. _Do Rei and Gou ever need another hand on deck? _

"Help me carry this to the front," says Haru, interrupting his thoughts and gesturing towards bins with a jerk of his head. Nagisa sighs and crouches to pick up the crates of plastic cutlery and dishes. Haru likes to store anything that's not an ingredient in the front, where they sit to drive, and they go through the cycle of transporting plates and utensils, for those who dislike messy fingers, every day.

Right as he's jumping out of the back door, cheap chopsticks aimed at his face and praying he doesn't gouge out an eye, Gou and Rei stroll to the front of their truck, easy and graceful in the afternoon rays. Nagisa hates himself for stumbling over his landing.

"Hello," says Haru. He sets his crate of napkins and cups down.

"Hi!" says Gou. She's very pretty when she smiles. Nagisa notes how close she and Rei are standing. "Nice to meet you! I'm Matsuoka Gou, and this is Ryugazaki Rei!" Rei bows his head at Haru, silent.

"It's nice to meet you, too," says Haru. "My name is Nanase Haruka, and this is my co-worker, Hazuki Nagisa."

"We've met already," Gou aims her cheery smile at Nagisa. "Your takoyaki smell delicious! The wind carries the scent into our truck all the time, my mouth was literally watering the whole time."

Haru looks pleased, brushing silky hair out of his eyes. "Thank you. It's my own recipe."

"Is it really? You'll have to show me sometime, I feel like mine always come out so bland!"

"That would be nice," says Haru, smiling at his apron. Nagisa marvels at how easily Gou won him over.

"Gou, isn't it time to get going?" Rei shifts on his feet. "We don't want to cause Rin any worry, especially on our first day."

"Oh right, right, sorry," she says, casting an apologetic look over at Nagisa and Haru. "We would stay and talk, but it's our first day and Rin's probably worried."

"Rin?" asks Nagisa.

"Our manager," Rei answers, which is fantastic. Sounds like another pretty girl for Rei to hang around.

"Sorry!" Gou says again. Nagisa and Haru assure her that all is well as she and Rei clamber into the front of their truck. Nagisa grins when Gou settles herself in the driver's seat, the juxtaposition of her small frame and the large vehicle amusing.

"Hazuki-san," Rei calls from his window.

Nagisa glances at Haru, startled, but his friend simply raises a fine brow. "I'll get the rest of the stuff packed," says Haru, and wanders over to the front doors. Nagisa sucks in a breath and trots over to Rei.

"How many plates did you serve today?" asks Rei, examining his nails with a bored expression. _Haughty, uptight—!_

"Around three hundred," Nagisa bites out. Rei's eyebrows rise, and Nagisa resists the urge to take a swing. "Well? What about you?"

"About five hundred," answers Rei, casting a look at him over the rims of his lenses. "Five hundred and twenty-seven, to be exact." Nagisa struggles to control the surprise that threatens to wash over his face. He succeeds in gaping like a fish out of water.

"Impressive," he grumbles. Rei smiles.

"I know," he says, and shows Nagisa a notepad. "I've already marked today down as my victory."

"You're keeping a tally?" Nagisa grabs the purple book. "Are you serious? You have every day from now until next Friday written down!" He looks at the butterfly print, runs his fingers over the soft leather of the binding and Rei's boxy script. He's written the outline of their bet, penciled in today's statistics and numbers. How nitpicky. How adorable.

"Well, yes," says Rei, slightly red. "I—well—it's important to be organized! Anyways, it's not like there's any way I won't win this joke of a bet." He sniffs disdainfully, and the slight warmth Nagisa felt at his stuttering disappears. He opens his mouth to retort but Gou's hand shoves Rei's face aside, and soon both the workers of _Belles Crepes_ are peering down at him through the window.

"Rei, don't be rude!" she chides. "Don't worry, Hazuki-san, I'm rooting for you!" She flashes her teeth, and, to Nagisa's mortification, sends him a saucy wink. "I know you'll win no matter the outcome!" Nagisa's mind stumbles over the implications of her statement as she plops back in her seat, giggling over Rei's splutters of food truck solidarity.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hazuki-san," says Rei over the hum of the engine. They eye each other coolly, and the golden light of the afternoon bathes Rei's face. He looks like royalty, all gentle ruffling in the breeze and glowing skin.

"Yeah," breathes Nagisa as the truck roars away, dust rising in its wake.

He belatedly realizes he's still clutching Rei's little notebook in his hands, pages crumpling in his tight grip.

* * *

><p>ahhh hope you guys enjoyed, commentskudos always appreciated! talk to me abt characterization..

also feel free to drop by! didsw on tumblr :)


	2. Chapter 2

sorry for the very long wait! hope its to your liking :)

multiple thanks to narutorun on tumblr for some really good beta abby ily!

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><p>"Morning Gou-chan, Rei-chan!" calls Nagisa Thursday morning when everyone's unpacking in preparation for the day ahead.<p>

"Gou-chan?" says Gou, surprised.

"Rei-chan?" repeats Rei, irritated.

"We practically work together, so it's okay to call you that, right?"

Gou shakes her head and turns back to her work, smiling, but Rei crosses his arms.

"It most certainly is not!" he says, puffed like a peacock. "We've only just met yesterday!"

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. You can call me Nagisa!" He smiles, throws in a wink to show how _friendly _and _open _he is.

"I will do no such thing," says Rei, red. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got customers to prepare for. We can't all afford the luxury of standing around and wasting time before opening hours." He spins on his heel and walks away, straight and stiff. Nagisa leans back and pointedly doesn't stare at his butt, focusing on his back and broad shoulders, which are very nicely highlighted in Rei's work shirt and apron. Nagisa silently sends a prayer of thanks to the designer of the _Belles Crepes_ uniform—probably their manager, Rin, whoever she is. _Bless you, Rin._

* * *

><p>Nagisa bounces up to Haru, who's scrubbing the stovetop. "Why don't we have a uniform?"<p>

Haru doesn't pause in his cleaning. "I think our aprons are enough. Why? Do you want one?"

Nagisa considers this. "I don't know, but we'd look _so_ cute, don't you think?" Haru glances at him out of the corner of his eye.

"If you think for a minute I'm going to spend my day in those little caps like Ryugazaki and Matsuoka, you've got another thing coming, Nagisa." Nagisa laughs at the image of a stone-faced Haru prancing around in _Belles Crepes' _dainty outfits.

"Aw, Haru-chan, but don't they look so adorable dressed like that?" He cups his face, swooning.

"Maybe Matsuoka," says Haru, quirking his lips, "but Ryugazaki just looks weird."

"What!" Nagisa says, slightly offended. "Weird? I think he looks—" but he catches himself at the last moment, "funny. He looks kinda funny."

Haru hums but doesn't reply, which makes Nagisa feel strangely exposed. Who cares what Haru thinks? Rei _does_ look a little dumb, cap and bangs flopping all over his forehead. _'Dumb' isn't really the right word…Innocent? Cherubish?_ He imagines Rei in a diaper and snorts to himself.

Someone coughs behind him.

"I've come to wish you good luck today," says Rei, and smiles charmingly at Haru. "Good morning, Nanase-san."

"Ryugazaki." Haru nods his head. "Just Nanase is fine."

"Good luck, Rei-chan!" says Nagisa. Rei frowns.

"Could you please refrain from calling me that?"

Nagisa twirls the string of his apron. "It pisses you off, huh?" he says, feigning sincerity.

"A little," Rei admits.

"Then nope!" He pops the 'p' along with Rei's expression of hope. Rei sighs deeply, his mouth a tight line, and pushes his glasses up the slender bridge of his nose.

"…Yes. Well. You'll need all the luck you can gather today—word has spread about our new location, and yesterday's customers have undoubtedly told friends and family about us as well. We'll be drawing in more than yesterday, I can guarantee." He smirks, overly confident.

"It's been a day," Nagisa mumbles, irritated.

"Nervous, Hazuki-san?" asks Rei. Nagisa scoffs.

"Hah! Nervous!" He throws back his head in mirth. "Oh, Rei-chan. You're funny."

"I've made calculations and predictions about both of our sales and proven that _I_ have a better chance of winning," says Rei, reaching back to pat at his back pocket. "They're all…in…" He frowns a little. "Ah. That's funny, I could have sworn I put them—"

"Looking for this?" says Nagisa, dangling Rei's little purple book in front of Rei's nose. "I kept it overnight." He tugs it out of reach when Rei grasps for it. "Ah, nice try. You can get it back…on one condition."

"And that is?" sighs Rei. Nagisa can hear him tapping his foot and catches his fingers twitching, ready to dart out and snatch the book from Nagisa's grasp.

"Call me by my name," says Nagisa, flashing his teeth at Rei's expression. "Come on, it isn't that hard!"

Rei pinches his nose. "Fine. If I call you…" he grimaces ever-so-slightly, "'_Nagisa',_ will you refrain from stealing my things?"

"Stealing?" echoes Nagisa, standing up a bit straighter. "I didn't _steal_ this! You left it with me yesterday!"

Rei blushes but doesn't answer. "Please, if you could just give me my book back…Nagisa…" he mutters, and Nagisa claps delightedly and tosses him the notebook. Rei stumbles and trips but catches it in the air, glaring at Nagisa before striding off.

* * *

><p>Of course, at the end of the day, <em>Belles Crepes<em> is leading, but on Friday, surprisingly, the takoyaki sell more. Nagisa bends his head over the little book next to Rei, and thinks about how his curls brush against Rei's cheek, just _barely_, and how his shoulder is pressed up against Rei's upper arm. _It's a small book_, he tells himself, to justify the closeness.

They've gotten better at not jumping down each other's throats—every new interaction they have has less fighting and more casual conversation. Sometimes when Rei looks at him, or when they share a joke, Nagisa thinks there might be something more there, something hidden and waiting to come out, but then Rei will drop some comment on how rusty he thinks _Tokyo Takyo_ is, or Nagisa will insult a flavor on _Belles Crepes_ menu, and it's like they haven't made any progression at all.

* * *

><p>It's a lazy Saturday and there's some downtime early in his shift, so Nagisa uses the opportunity to check his Twitter feed. It's mostly pictures of food and the city and complaints, and Nagisa's about to close the app out of boredom, when a retweet catches his eye.<p>

**Belles Crepes**_ BellesCrepesOfficial: Thanks for an awesome first day! We're back in the same spot today from 10a-3p, come visit! Suggestions for flavors welcome!_

"Eh?" He straightens up from the counter. "The crepe truck is on my feed?" He blinks, squints his eyes—sure enough, there's a cartoon photo of a crepe as the profile picture, and when he goes to the profile, a side view of the truck next to him is what shows up as the background.

As he scrolls through the tweets, Nagisa gets more and more ticked off. It looks like they've had the account for a while, complete with photos and posts about their past locations_. Is this how they attract their customers? _He's shocked when the latest timestamp reads half an hour ago.

_Come try today's special—banana and cream filling with nut topping! _

_Do they seriously live tweet their day? _"Haru-chan!"

"Don't shout," says Haru. "I'm right here."

"Do you see this?" cries Nagisa, and shoves his phone into Haru's line of sight. "Look at this! They're promoting their business constantly! This is how they've pulled ahead of us so easily! It's cheating! Can you believe this!"

"Twitter, huh?" says Haru, taking Nagisa's phone and studying it with interest. "That's not a bad idea. Smart of them to use social media to their advantage."

"You're missing the point!" wails Nagisa, waving his arms. "That Rei—he's a cheater! It's not fair! No one knows about us unless they see us in this spot! He's buying customers!"

"Is this about your bet?" asks Haru. "I don't think this constitutes as cheating. It's not like you ever said he_ couldn't_ tweet."

"It was implied, seriously, Haru-chan! You can't think this is okay!"

"If it bothers you so much, confront _him_ about it." Haru dismisses him by turning back to the food.

"Well, how am I supposed to do that?" Nagisa demands, one hand fisted on his hip. "It's not like I can just go over and demand an explanation!"

Haru throws up his hands in exasperation. "I don't know, Nagisa! File a complaint or something, I don't care!" Nagisa shuts his mouth, eyeing the way Haru bangs a pan on the stove warily.

_Complain, huh?_ Nagisa grins suddenly, inspiration striking. He taps the "follow" button, slides his phone into his back pocket and waits. It's only a few minutes later when his mobile beeps with a notification: they've followed him back. Nagisa goes to their profile and gets to work.

**Direct Messages with Belles Crepes**

Hazuki Nagisa: _yo_

Hazuki Nagisa:_ rei chan is this ur truck_

Hazuki Nagisa: _you guys suck do u know that_

Belles Crepes: _Excuse me?_

Hazuki Nagisa: _wtf u never said that u had twitter this is unfair_

Hazuki Nagisa: _oh hey rei chan_

Belles Crepes: _is this about that bet?_

Hazuki Nagisa: _YES its abt the bet what do ut hink u guys have an unfair advantage!_

Hazuki Nagisa: _screw you guys this is against the rules you shouldve said something_

Belles Crepes: _Do you seriously not have any form of social media for Tokyo takyo?_

Belles Crepes: _it's not my fault you have faulty managing_

At that little dig, Nagisa sucks in a breath, fingers flying over the keyboard, typos everywhere.

**Direct Messages with Belles Crepes**

Hazuki Nagisa: _HWAT!_

Hazuki Nagisa: _faulty managng? UM?v_

Hazuki Nagisa: _screw u honestly_

Hazuki Nagisa: _u cant just walk into MY street and take away MY customers and then tweet abt it_

Hazuki Nagisa:_ ur so cocky and stuff do u know taht? (rei not gou chan)_

Hazuki Nagisa: _how dare u insult haru chan and mako chan_

Belles Crepes: _Stop messaging me _

Belles Crepes: _I mean stop messaging the company seriously I can't read them and also serve customers_

Hazuki Nagisa: _well 2 bad_

Hazuki Nagisa: _im gonna give u hell_

Hazuki Nagisa: _bc ur kindof a smug dick_

Hazuki Nagisa: _ill slash ur tires_

Hazuki Nagisa: _ill poison the crepe batter or mix or watevr_

Belles Crepes:_ I'm reporting you_

Hazuki Nagisa: _ill throw egg at the truck_

Hazuki Nagisa: _wait_

Hazuki Nagisa: _wait what? are you kidding? i was kidding_

Hazuki Nagisa: _HEY wtf! i was joking answer!_

Hazuki Nagisa:_ ? REI?!_

Belles Crepes:_ reported_

Hazuki Nagisa:_ holy shit_

Nagisa groans. What is he supposed to do now? He can't report their company—that would be taking it too far. _But that doesn't mean he can't report Rei himself…_

Nagisa quickly scrolls through the list of who the truck follows. He sees Gou, smiling from the little square, and the mysterious Rin as well—their profile picture is also Gou, much younger and with a bow in her hair. He goes down a bit further and sees Rei—boring Rei, who chose a picture of _running shoes_ as his photo. Nagisa has to smother a laugh at the inspirational quote about hard work as his bio.

He goes through Rei's tweets—there aren't that many, and they're about the most mundane things. It doesn't matter, though—he reports each and every single one.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, a strangled shriek echoes through <em>Tokyo Takyo<em>. Nagisa and Haru glance at each other as they hear a door slam and heavy footfalls approach the open window.

"Nagisa," says Rei through clenched teeth.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa chirps as he hands a dish of takoyaki into a teenager's waiting hands.

"What _exactly _have you done?" says Rei, not quite yelling, but close. Some customers in line shift uneasily.

"Come in, come in, back door's unlocked," says Nagisa, still cheerful, and beckons the next person in line forward. Rei disappears and clambers in through the back of the truck, scooting around Haru and crossing his arms in front of Nagisa. Nagisa takes the opportunity to help himself to a few sticks of Pocky from the box sitting on the counter.

"What's wrong?" says Nagisa, Glico packaging crinkling between his teeth.

"My Twitter account," says Rei. "You've suspended it."

Nagisa is surprised—he thought at the most Rei would get a firm letter from the company telling him to mind himself. "Suspended?"

"Yes," Rei grits out. "And it's not like I really used my account, but honestly—suspension? If something like this happens again, it'll be deleted permanently." He looks incredibly put out, which makes Nagisa laugh. "You really find this funny, huh?"

"Sorry," Nagisa says, but once he's started, he can't stop. Giggles slip between his teeth, and not even the hand that is hurriedly clapped to his mouth can stop them. "I can't believe you marched all the way over here for this!"

"Gou is going to kill me," Rei mumbles, mostly to himself. He looks up angrily. "I just—I panicked and left." Nagisa laughs harder, shaking as he takes takoyaki plates from a silent Haru and passing them into hungry hands. "Stop—stop laughing, honestly, how immature are you? Reporting me, are you fifteen years old?"

"Hey, you started it!" says Nagisa, but without any real heat. For some reason the whole situation strikes him as incredibly funny, leaving him with a light feeling in his head and chest.

"I didn't actually report you," says Rei, like he's stupid. "I just said that to get you off my back—are you really that gullible?"

Nagisa isn't offended. "Got me, Rei-chan," he giggles into Rei's disbelieving face. "Sorry about that!"

Rei still looks a bit angry, a little sad and lost, like a puppy, and Nagisa's in a good mood. "You can report me if you want to," he says, feeling generous.

"I'm not that petty," says Rei instantly.

"Go ahead, I know you want to," says Nagisa, smiling at him, and after a beat, Rei smiles back. It's a small smile, minuscule, but it's _there_, and the best part is that it seems like he didn't even mean to—the curve worked itself onto Rei's face unknowingly.

"I really am sorry, Rei-chan," apologizes Nagisa, because Rei looks very sweet, standing there with that half-tilt of his lips. "It's only temporary, anyways."

"It's not…it's not actually a big deal, honestly," Rei admits slowly, as if he was just realizing that. "I'm—I don't know why I came all the way over." He huffs a little laugh, looking sheepish.

"You better head back before Matsuoka skins you alive," says Haru, speaking for the first time. "Look at your line."

Nagisa and Rei both lean together out over the counter and Rei chokes at the people piling up outside his truck. "Oh, God."

Nagisa pats him on the back. Rei turns to him, confused, and he shoots him his best encouraging expression. "Good luck out there, Rei-chan!"

"I—thank you?" he says down at him. It's a new experience for Nagisa, to be looked at like this by Rei without an expression of anger or obnoxiousness painted on his face. He looks a little unsure, but his eyes are soft and open and a little starry. Nagisa's feeling a bit starry, himself—caught up in the moment of Rei looking down and him tilting up. Something in his worldview changes; it feels like the ground has suddenly up and shifted underneath him.

"Sorry for bothering you," and Nagisa latches on to the way he says "you" to _him_ and not Haru, "but I'll have to be going now. I'm—I won't report you, just so you know. You can consider us even, since I played a trick and you were only responding in a natural way."

"You're so sweet," says Nagisa, a phrase he's thrown at Rei multiple times over the past few days in jest, but this time, it tastes different on his lips, holds a different weight on his tongue. "I'll see you after our shifts end to mark down today's numbers?"

"Of course," says Rei, glasses shaking over his nose. He lowers his hand and clears his throat. "See you, Nagisa," and he's out the door and hurrying over to his truck without waiting for an answer.

* * *

><p>Every Sunday, it's Nagisa's job to shop for <em>Tokyo Takyo<em> groceries for the week ahead. It's one of his favorite parts of working on a food truck, because Mako sends him to a little farmer's market that sells fresh ingredients and mouth-watering lunch. He always brings along a book and buys a sandwich and spends a few hours at one of the little round tables outside. It's a nice breather when you live amidst the constant hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

He's rounding the corner of one of the aisles when he runs into something solid. Nagisa peeks over the top edge of his paper bag and is met with a wide violet stare.

"Nagisa?" says Rei, neatly tied up in a scarf, a canvas tote hanging off one shoulder.

"Rei?" says Nagisa, so caught off-guard he drops the honorific. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping, of course!…Although, I'll admit, I'm a little lost." Rei surveys the aisles with slight apprehension. "This is a little more…haphazard…than I'm used to." Nagisa understands what he means—the place is tiny, products crammed onto shelves and shelves squeezed into narrow aisles.

"It's not so bad once you get used to the disorder!" says Nagisa, and shifts his groceries into one arm, the other reaching out to tug at Rei's sleeve with an offer to help because he's in a good mood.

"Here's Gou's list," says Rei, waving a piece of paper. The creases along which it was folded are crisp. "She is a rather demanding chef."

"That's fine! This place has practically everything," and they set off down the aisle.

It's a little strange, being with Rei without the constant stream of jabs. Nagisa half-expects them to break into argument at any point except…they don't. It's strangely comfortable, walking with Rei, who actually laughs at some (_some_) of his jokes and joins him in eating samples off the trays that are placed at the ends of each aisle. They do get into a mini spat in the dairy section, but only because Nagisa insists skim tastes like water and Rei refuses to drink the creamy goodness that is whole milk.

* * *

><p>"I think that's it," says Nagisa a little while later, when he and Rei are meandering through the corridors of the store. "All you need is some vanilla beans."<p>

"I think I saw a few cases a couple of aisles over," says Rei, and cranes his neck over the shelf he's standing next to. Nagisa looks up at him and it suddenly hits him _tall _Rei is. _He's gotta be taller than Mako, maybe even taller than Sousuke_. But where Mako and Sousuke are broad and thick and sturdy, Rei's svelte form is all grace and elegance. He would be a beanpole, if it weren't for those arms and shoulders that are always catching Nagisa's eye.

He doesn't even notice Rei's taken off in pursuit of the vanilla until he's rounding the corner. Nagisa jogs a little to catch up.

"I think I'm good," says Rei, placing the beans into his tote. "Is there a self-checkout?"

"Yeah, over there," points Nagisa, and there's an awkward pause in which Rei's body lurches toward the checkout while his feet stay planted.

"Will you, ah. Will you be leaving soon?" he asks, and Nagisa notices the way his eyes slide over to the right through the lense, avoiding eye contact.

"I usually buy myself some lunch and people-watch for a few outside." Nagisa suddenly feels warm.

"Oh. I—thank you, then. For helping," and Rei goes to leave.

"No problem," answers Nagisa, jovial, but there's something missing, a little, in his tone. "I'll see you Monday!"

"Yes," says Rei, walking impossibly slow, dragging out their farewell and it feels like there's a chance at _something _slipping away.

"You can join me!" blurts Nagisa. "You can join me for lunch…if you want, I mean," because today had been _fun,_ he and Rei were getting along well, and maybe he competes with him in business but maybe he also wants to get to know the boy in glasses a little bit better.

Rei turns, and they're both blooming red, and Nagisa's a little embarrassed and kind of wants to brush it off as a joke until Rei smiles at him—a real smile this time, the kind Nagisa sees Rei directing at Gou when she laughs, the kind he used when he gave a crepe to the little girl from earlier in the week, even if it _is_ a little shy—and nods yes.

* * *

><p>It's not as awkward as Nagisa fears. Rei, Nagisa discovers, is an enthusiastic conversationalist, when he wants to be. They chatter away while paying for their groceries and selecting their lunches—Rei, after much deliberation, selects kenchinjiru, while Nagisa sticks with a hot chicken sandwich. The tense atmosphere surrounding them since they met has dwindled away over the course of the past few days, and this bright Sunday noon has them eating a meal together like old friends.<p>

"Honestly, I don't know how you can eat that every week," sniffs Rei in a typical Rei fashion, practically _dripping_ with pretentiousness, except this time around Nagisa isn't even offended.

He bites into the sandwich, tastes the breaded chicken and fried egg, vegetables crunching, and hums in delight. "It's good, Rei-chan, try some!"

Rei wrinkles his nose when Nagisa waves his lunch in his face. He turns his head away, declining the offer.

"But I must say, this is a very interesting little business," he says, smiling around at the atmosphere surrounding the little table they chose to sit at outside. "I've never seen a place quite like it before."

"Hey, yeah," says Nagisa through egg, "I've never seen you here before! What made you choose this place today?"

Rei sniffs. "Gou and Rin, of course! They send me all over the place every time we change location until they find a store they're satisfied with, and by that time, we've moved _again_!" He looks incredibly put out, steam from his soup fogging his glasses just the _tiniest_ bit, and Nagisa has to laugh.

"Honestly," Rei continues, "it's like I'm their servant or something, even though I was the one who volunteered to help them out!...Well, maybe I was _slightly_ pressured. Rin can be very persuasive."

"The things we do for love," muses Nagisa, darting a glance to Rei's expression—but he isn't fazed. He savors the sauce on his tongue, light and tangy, before asking, "So…is Gou-chan...are you two, like…"

"Hmm?" Rei lifts his head from his spoon. "Are we…?"

"Is she like…your girlfriend or something?" Nagisa asks, a little embarrassed that mere implication isn't enough to get through to Rei. _How much more obvious can a guy get?_

"Gou—I—_girlfriend?"_ exclaims Rei, his face so surprised, so shocked Nagisa wants to scrabble at the air and take his question back. "Me and—you thought—" and Rei bursts into laughter, loud, booming laughter that makes Nagisa want to laugh as well—even if the hilarity is directed at him.

"What?" asks Nagisa, fighting a smile. "She's pretty, and you guys seem close, it's not that unbelievable."

"No, no, you misunderstand!" Rei says through his giggles, waving a hand at Nagisa. "Yes, yes, we're both very close, but we're not dating, she's my cousin!"

"Cousin?" Nagisa echoes, feeling very stupid and very foolish but also a bit like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

"Yes, cousin," says Rei, chuckles subsiding. "She and Rin are my cousins, and Rin asked us to help out with the business this summer. My older brother declined, but Gou agreed because she's Rin's sister and I, being the youngest, was dragged into it. Although, it's not as bad as I thought it would be when we started back in May."

"Wow! You have an older brother and two fun cousins to spend your time with?" says Nagisa. "All I have is two overbearing, nosy sisters and one not-as-nosy, kinda cool sister." He's pleased with himself when Rei laughs. "I'm jealous, Rei-chan!"

"They're not that great," admits Rei, leaning forward with a small smile, like he and Nagisa are sharing secrets. "They're either babying me or pushing me around, even though I'm the tallest."

"I know what you mean!" exclaims Nagisa. "Haru-chan and my sisters always order me around, and I top Haru-chan by a good two inches! Being the youngest sucks."

"Agreed," says Rei, sipping his soup. They twinkle at each other for a moment, but Rei breaks it by coughing into his fist lightly and shifting his eyes around.

"You and Nanase," begins Rei, and Nagisa feels a small amount of pride that Rei calls him by his first name. "Are you friends? Just co-workers? What's the deal there?"

"Nah, Haru-chan and I are roommates!" says Nagisa. "He put in an ad on Craigslist for a flatmate, and I answered!"

"Craigslist?" asks Rei, looking concerned. "Are you sure you should be trusting websites like that?"

"It worked out okay, didn't it?" says Nagisa, grinning. "So we're roommates, and Haru-chan and his _friend_," the word "friend" is exaggerated with many eyebrow wiggles and winks, "Mako-chan, needed help with _Tokyo Takyo_ this summer, and I was all for it! They started the business together back in…February? I think? But it's like their baby, there was no way I could deny them."

"Their…baby?" echoes Rei, tilting his head.

"Yeah, they started it together, because they want to one day own their own restaurant. They're really invested in the takoyaki, Haru-chan spent an entire two _days_ painting the logo on the truck, he's _super _proud of it." Nagisa takes a bite of his sandwich. "They're a little low on funds, though, between their schooling and maintaining the truck, so sales are super important! Luckily, they have me to reel in customers!"

"I'm sure that boosts the sales quite a bit," says Rei, and Nagisa's heart thuds. "You're…ah. You're very cute, until you open your mouth."

Nagisa croaks a bit at Rei's expression—smug, a face he's familiar with, except he's also red and his eyes are warm, and it's so sweet that he doesn't know how to react for a few seconds. _Is he flirting? Was that flirting?_ He throws a napkin at Rei instead of making a comeback, because that had been _sly,_ a genuine compliment wrapped in a snarky jab.

The rest of lunch passes easily in this way. They talk about everything—Nagisa points out funny passerby, Rei talks about his jogging routine. Nagisa discovers they both attend university, but not the same school. They exchange book titles and phone numbers, and then it's suddenly past two-thirty and Rei's gathering his things in a hurry because his phone is buzzing with increasingly anxious and angry texts.

"Excuse me, sorry," he stutters, frantically grabbing for his tote in one hand and trying to balance his empty bowl and mobile in the other.

"Ah, lemme help," says Nagisa, taking the bowl and his plate and dumping them out in the nearest trash. "Do you have everything?"

"I think so," says Rei, patting down his pants. "Thank you for allowing me to join you on your Sunday routine."

"No trouble, it was fun!" says Nagisa, waving his hand. "Feel free to join me every week!"

"It _was_ fun, wasn't it?" says Rei softly, like he's talking to himself. "I—ah. I feel like I may have…perhaps…misjudged you? A bit?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm the same," says Nagisa. He beams, bright and wide, at Rei. "We're friends now, it's okay!" Rei nods his head. "Although…this doesn't mean the bet is off."

"You still wish to embarrass yourself come this Friday?" says Rei, pushing his glasses up with an air of importance. "So be it. No matter how heartwarming your food truck origin story, _Belles Crepes_ will still blow you out of the water."

"We'll see, Rei-chan," sings Nagisa, rocking back on his heels.

He watches Rei unclasp the low gate that separates the eating area from the sidewalk, watches as he answers his phone, raises his hand in a salute when Rei turns back to him, someone—presumably Gou—yelling at him over the phone.

Rei gives him a little wave, his mouth lopsided, smiling a little goofily, and Nagisa feels his heart burst out of his chest and soar into the air like a dove.

* * *

><p>"Mako-chan, Haru-chan, crisis!" yells Nagisa, flinging his apartment door wide open and dashing inside.<p>

Mako comes out of the kitchen are in oven mitts, carrying a flowered dish, but Nagisa's too worked up to make fun of him and his domesticity.

"What's wrong!" he cries, setting the pan down. Nagisa hurries over to it.

"Pie, Mako-chan?" he asks.

"It's for later, please don't touch it."

"Aw, Mako-chan!" Nagisa hovers a finger over perfectly golden crust.

"No, Nagisa," says Mako sternly. "Didn't you just have lunch? What took you, you were gone for longer than usual."

Nagisa flops onto the couch, flinging an arm over his face. "Oh, Mako-chan…" he sighs for dramatic effect, then thinks of Rei clutching his canvas tote, and swoons for real. "Mako, Mako, Mako-chan…"

"Haru!" cries Mako. "Nagisa's sick, I think!"

"I'm sick, _so_ sick," echoes Nagisa as Haru strolls out of his bedroom.

"He's acting different!" says Mako, and hurriedly presses a hand to Nagisa's forehead.

"It's not that kind of sick, Mako-chan!" says Nagisa, and sits up.

"Then what is it?" says Haru, one hand on his hip. "Are you actually ill, or are you faking again?"

"I am sick!" Nagisa insists. Haru and Mako gaze down at him. Nagisa brings a fist to his chest and lowers his head sadly. "I'm sick in the heart."

Haru scoffs, rolling his eyes and walking away, but Mako looks even more concerned. "In the heart? What does that mean?"

Nagisa fixes Mako with a knowing stare. _Looks like I need to get right to the point_."Love sickness, Mako-chan."

Mako lights up like a Christmas tree, or maybe Haru's prized kettle grill. "Oh! Let me guess…Ryugazaki from the crepe truck?"

"Eh?" Nagisa stands up. "Who said it was him? How do you even know about that?"

"Haru fills me in on day-to-day life," says Mako, smiling. "Oh, Nagisa, I'm so proud of you! We were thinking you'd never get around to admitting your feelings!"

"This isn't—I never even mentioned his name!" says Nagisa, growing more flustered by the second. He points a wild finger in Mako's direction."You're just jumping to conclusions!"

"Is it him?" asks Haru from his place at the table. He's hidden behind a newspaper, but Nagisa can still feel his knowing gaze. "You just had lunch with him, didn't you? I told Matsuoka about that farmer's market yesterday and she mentioned she would send Ryugazaki."

Mako laughs and Nagisa feels like he's just been played. "Sneaky, Haru-chan! You went behind my back?"

"Did you have fun?" is what Haru asks, instead of answering.

Nagisa pauses, thinks of Rei, looks around the room, thinks of Rei, and splays his fingers across his cheeks. "Yes!" he squeaks out, cheeks warming.

"I've never seen you act like this, Nagisa," says Mako in wonder.

"I know!" Nagisa giggles. "I know, I know, it's weird, right? Oh, but Mako-chan, you haven't even _met _Rei-chan, he's so cool and serious and sweet…"

"Tell me all about it," smiles Mako, and they plop together on the couch, clutching pillows. Haru joins them, Nagisa in the middle, and he regales them with tales of lunch with Rei, fighting with Rei, laughing with Rei.

"I've never acted like this with anyone before!" says Nagisa, once Mako is up-to-date with the ever-changing nature of his and Rei's relationship. "We clash all the time, but we also get along really well somehow? He really gets my blood flowing, if you know what I mean." Haru groans at the innuendo.

"I'll have to meet him soon!" says Mako, ignoring Nagisa's comment.

"You should come to work on the truck tomorrow," says Haru. "You can meet Matsuoka as well, I think you'll like her."

"Gou-chan is very cool," Nagisa agrees.

Mako beams, on board with the idea, and that is that. They tumble off the couch and Nagisa pads to the kitchen to assist with making dinner.

* * *

><p>Nagisa shows up to work on Monday with sweet-smelling cologne dabbed on behind his ears and Mako in tow. He dawdles near the front window inside <em>Tokyo Takyo<em>, too shy to go over to Rei's truck and introduce them.

"So when do I get to meet the amazing Rei?" asks Mako, smiling down at him.

"Shh, shh, he's _right next door_, Mako-chan!" Nagisa tries keeping his voice down. "He'll hear you!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry," says Mako, and he exchanges amused glances with Haru over chopped onion. Nagisa ignores them in favor of leaning on the counter and gazing out onto the street. He adjusts himself so that when Rei shows up to wish him good luck, he will look alluring and mystical.

He manages to hold the pose in comfort for a couple of minutes until his leg starts tingling from being crossed. Nagisa grits his teeth but doesn't move.

Rei comes over a few minutes later, and Nagisa is unprepared.

"Good morning, Nagisa," he says, and Nagisa turns his head fast and stumbles out of his position. He ends up crashing onto the counter because _of course, of course this had to happen_—his foot has fallen asleep.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" asks Rei, the cool confidence melting off his face in favor of alarmed concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," says Nagisa, secretly angry with himself. "My foot just fell asleep."

"Oh," says Rei. "Well, good to know you're alright." They spend a few seconds avoiding each other's eyes and blushing at a napkin dispenser. _This is ridiculous_, Nagisa thinks, sneaking a glance at Rei. _We're both adults, not innocent school kids!_ He's saved when Mako clears his throat behind him.

"Ah, Rei-chan!" Nagisa exclaims, tugging Mako's hand so he's at the counter and facing Rei. "This is our manager, Mako-chan! Mako-chan, this is Rei-chan from _Belles Crepes_."

"Tachibana Makoto," says Mako, easy and friendly. "Nice to meet you, Ryugazaki-kun."

"Hello, Tachibana-san," greets Rei, bowing a little. "A pleasure to meet you as well."

"Good morning, Ryugazaki," says Haru from the stove, and Rei leans in a little.

"Hello, Nanase-san," he says, smiling a little when Haru insists that just "Nanase" is fine.

"Well, I just came over to wish you luck, as usual," says Rei, drumming his fingers on the counter. "May the best truck win."

"Don't cry when you lose," says Nagisa, because he has a good feeling about today.

Rei opens his mouth to retaliate, but Gou's voice from somewhere inside _Belles Crepes_ cuts him off.

"_Rei!_ Get back here! I need your help!" Her urgent tone sends Rei into a mini-fit of panic, and Nagisa takes the opportunity to lean forward and snatch his little cap off his head.

"Hey—" Rei starts, but another call from Gou makes him hesitate.

"You should go, Gou-chan seems mad," says Nagisa, smiling, and Rei shoots him one last glare before hurrying off.

"Well?" Nagisa turns to where Mako's standing, a faint grin on his lips. "What do you think of him?" He feels anxious, a little—he respects Mako, wants his approval.

"He's very cute," Mako nods. "Sweet. He seems very young."

"Young?"

"Doesn't he?" says Haru, over Nagisa.

"He must be in his very early twenties," says Mako to Haru. "He's definitely not our age, he's probably even younger than Nagisa."

"No way!" gasps Nagisa, but he pauses to think. "I don't know how old he is, but he's not that young! Is he?"

"I don't know," says Haru. "But his face has that round-ish, young look to it," he observes, and Mako nods in agreement. Nagisa thinks of Rei's angular cheekbones and sharp jaw and has to silently disagree.

* * *

><p>Rei comes back during his lunch break and asks for his cap back.<p>

"Aw, do I have to?" asks Nagisa, smiling cheekily. "I think it looks cute on me!"

"However you may appear in the cap, the fact remains that it is mine, and I need it back," says Rei firmly. When Nagisa doesn't budge, his frown disappears and he looks a little pleading. "Please. Rin will have my head if I return without it."

Nagisa relents at the pout—_adorable_. "Alright, alright, c'mere," he says, tugging a little at Rei's apron straps. Rei follows obediently and they're so close that Nagisa is momentarily swimming in purple eyes.

"Here," he breathes out, taking off the hat and gently placing it on Rei's head.

"It's crooked," Rei says, impossibly soft and impossibly close. Nagisa sends out a silent prayer of thanks that Mako and Haru left together to buy food.

He reaches out and adjusts the cap, smooths Rei's hair down on the sides.

"How does it look?" says Rei, and his voices ghosts over the bridge of Nagisa's nose, breaking and traveling over his cheeks.

"It's good," he says, tweaking Rei's bangs a bit. "You look good." They stare at each other, close and intimate, and Nagisa can feel the heat radiating from Rei's face—or is it coming off his own? He thinks maybe he should start leaning in, or gripping Rei a little tighter around the straps, but someone's phone lets out a shrill sound, and they both reel backward. Nagisa bangs his head on a decorative pan hanging from the ceiling and curses.

"Sorry," Rei gasps, looking as lost as Nagisa feels. "Sorry, that was me—it's my timer, my lunch break is over—I have to go, sorry—" he runs, actually _runs _away, apron flapping and everything. Nagisa would normally laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but he's feeling a bit ridiculous himself.

* * *

><p>if you wanna know, mako and haru are 25, rins 24, gou is 22. Who knows about rei and nagisa...<p>

ive always headcannoned rei as growing up to be the tallest and really lean by the time he's a third year. also: nagisa outgrows haru and comes close to rin by the time he's 20. I have so many random reigisa headcanons that aren't connected to anything if you wanna exchange ideas didsw on tumblr!

Rei can be smooth, sometimes

reviews appreciated! i think the pacing was really wonky in this chapter so tell me what you think!


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